Emerging Technologies

U.S. startup Aether Fuels has signed an agreement with Singapore-based refiner Aster to build its first commercial-scale SAF production facility.

Nvidia-powered aviation; non-CO2 emissions research; hydrogen-electric aircraft network; and transformative battery challenge.

DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative is looking at 11 companies, with the goal of achieving a "useful quantum computer" by 2030.

UK’s Faraday Institution is conducting a High Performance Cell Challenge that it hopes can spur battery density to enable electric regional flight.

There are varying degrees of progress for the four major Western eVTOL startups, and they all provided reports for the third quarter of 2025.

Hybrid-electric Passport tests, revelations of a third-stream adaptive concept and positive supercomputer results mark key advances for the RISE program.

The B-21’s cockpit technology raises new questions about how to staff the flight deck in an era of increasing levels of automation.

SATS has released its “Hub Handler of the Future” concept to better position the Singapore hub’s competitiveness by introducing new technologies.

Joby Aviation has powered on the first aircraft for use in its Type Inspection Authorization flight test campaign.

Eve Air Mobility, backed by Embraer, signed a framework agreement Nov. 3 with Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT).

Brussels has adopted the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan as part of a broader transport package—a move aviation industry groups have said marks a step forward but highlights the need to accelerate SAF.

ATR received a request from the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking to fly a demonstrator in 2029.

The UK has launched the first government-supported research projects under a new program to understand the climate contribution of non-CO2 aircraft emissions.

Star Catcher Industries says it has demonstrated wireless laser power beaming, transmitting 1.1 kW of electrical power to off-the-shelf solar panels.

Brazil’s National Monetary Council has approved loans for the country’s airlines, including the purchase of domestically built aircraft and SAF.

Beta Technologies has raised more than $1 billion by listing in New York with proceeds set to support the electric aircraft startup's expansion.

The Republic of Korea Air Force plans to field aircraft piloted by artificial intelligence by the early 2030s to fly alongside KAI F-50 and KF-21 fighters.

Metal-organic frameworks offer lightweight solid-state hydrogen storage for drones.

Lockheed Martin has signed a memorandum of understanding with PsiQuantum to develop quantum algorithms for aerospace and defense applications.

In February 2026, the EU-backed Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking will seek industry views on the operational deployment of new aircraft technologies.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s first ReFuelEU Aviation report highlights the sustainable aviation fuel ramp-up challenge.

Nvidia is bringing its artificial-intelligence (AI) computing magic to safety-critical applications in aviation.

Stirling Technology Space Research Experiment (START) is an effort to accelerate the readiness of a compact nuclear power conversion technology.

H2Fly is gearing up for flight-testing of a “next-generation” fuel cell system, CEO Ralph Mueller says.

The company is taking a contrarian view in the eVTOL market by designing a hybrid, six-passenger aircraft focused on regional air mobility.